


Hold Down Your Lies

by poemwithnorhyme



Category: Mo Dao Zu Shi, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-23 03:37:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21313543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poemwithnorhyme/pseuds/poemwithnorhyme
Summary: If Wen Chao had used a different method of interrogation on Wei WeiXian when he talked back in Ep. 12.Be mindful of warnings, this is dark!Title from Goodbye (with Soap & Skin) by Apparat
Relationships: Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín/Wēn Cháo, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Wēn Cháo/Lán Wàngjī, Wēn Cháo/Lán Zhàn, Wēn Cháo/Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī
Comments: 43
Kudos: 246





	Hold Down Your Lies

As always, Wei Wuxian has provoked the person he is most at odds with, “Wen Chao, it was me that cursed you. Come at me if you dare!”

The Second Prince considers it, eyes rounding on Wei Wuxian, Lan Wanji, and Jin ZiXuan.

“You _are_ here to be educated,” he says, eyes settling on Lan Wanji with a knowing smirk, “And seeing as Lan Wanji here has some experience, perhaps it is best if he helps teach you both some manners. He seems to have forgotten some of his lessons after all.”

Wei Wuxian may not be able to see Lan Wangji's face, but he guesses the man is stoic as always. Refusing to play up Wen Chao's intimidation. He wonders if his assumption is so right when Lan Wangji steps in front of him, arm out with his delicate robe draping down. He's defending Wei Wuxian again, surely earning Wen Chao's wrath. It's not unusual for the man to show such chivalry, but it's not generally directed at him. Yet there is the most subtle of waivers to his arm, something less than perfect, which is also not at all like the man.

It takes his breath away, at the same time Wei Wuxian's stomach drops at the mere thought of Wen Chao driving Lan Wangji to action. What sort of _lessons_ was he taught? 

“Let him down,” Wen Chao commands, abrupt but finite. Wei Wuxian doesn't expect the slump to his knees to cause him discomfort, but the whip Wen Chao had used strikes more of a punch than he expected. It’s nothing like Zidian, but he nevertheless feels a bit humbled even if there's plenty of disdain bubbling up in preparation to let fly.

What is most surprising is the curl of fingers on his arm, Lan Wanji’s to be specific. He’s not looking at Wei Wuxian though, rather glaring up at Wen Chao. His eyes linger on the smooth skin of Hanguang-Jun's profile for what is likely only a second, but feels like much longer.

“You were going to ask Lan Wanji about the Yin Metal?” Wen Chao asks, jolting Wei Wuxian’s attention away, “Him being here should answer your question. We have three pieces now. And he does not know where the fourth piece is, but maybe you do.”

Wen Chao considers this fact, ideas brewing so bright that Wei Wuxian can very nearly feel the attention, “You won’t tell me without a reason. You’re too proud. But what about Lan Wanji?”

When so much as a brush of fingers is seen as too familiar, it’s wholly unexpected that Wen Chao reaches out to grip a delicate bundle of Lan Wangji's hair. He uses it to pull his slender neck back, forcing his head up even as Wen Chao's own gaze is strictly on Wei Wuxian, daring him to react. Something startlingly strong bursts in Wei Wuxian’s chest, and he grits his teeth as he tries to surge upward. But Lan Wangji's fingers tighten, and for once he listens to the silent order.

There’s a hiss of breath behind them, and only then does Wei Wuxian remember that Jin ZiXuan is with them, “Wen Chao, you really do go too far!”

Dark eyes flick past to the Jin heir, mirth a dark gleam, “Why don’t you join us? Who knows what knowledge you have. And maybe you’ll start to respect the Wen Clan after you see how we remind the Second Twin Jade of his place.”

“Jin ZiXuan knows nothing of the Yin Metal,” Lan Wangji says boldly.

Wen Chao is clearly irritated by the insistence, and yet it seems as though he’s about to humor him. Again, Wei Wuxian wonders what exactly happened before the other disciples arrived in the Nightless City. 

“Lan Zhan?” Wei Wuxian asks, the casual name accidental but not something he can take back.

Wen Chao releases Lan Wangji with a shove, and though it should not be enough to topple him, he does fall into Wei Wuxian. His free hand closes around the other’s arm to prop him back up, but Lan Wangji won’t look at him. In fact he’s looking down, and Wei Wuxian only hopes he is imagining the way his eyes dart to the left, as good as panicking. 

“So you say,” Wen Chao says as he looks at Jin ZiXuan, the expression on his face the same as when the three of them first smelled the shit they were ordered to pick up, “And I believe you. The Wen Clan never accuses anybody wrongly. So it will just be you two troublemakers.”

And so it is. 

Wei Wuxian isn't sure what he expects from an interrogation chamber, but it is unsurprising when they are led down to the dungeon. One cot lines each side, no more than badly stuffed sheets on wooden legs. Wei Wuxian is shoved down into one by his famous keeper – Wen Zhuliu – the Core Melting Hand. Lan Wangji is allowed to gracefully sit down on the other. His hands rest in his lap, eyes downcast and unassuming as always. He doesn't seem the least bit frazzled; not anymore anyways.

“Now that I have you here, I find that I have questions not just related to the Yin Metal,” Wen Chao explains with effortless authority. Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes, looking up with disdain only to find Wen Chao staring at Lan Wangji instead of him. He looks quickly between the two, immediately confused.

“This son of a dog is not worth the dirt that touches your shoe; you must know this. Why are you putting yourself once more at my feet to defend him? There must be something about him. Something more than his annoying mouth.”

It's only then that Wen Chao glances at Wei Wuxian, observing with those bugged out eyes of his. Wei Wuxian just laughs, the insinuation too hilarious to take seriously. Wen Chao huffs at him, raising a finger in realization.

“Ah! It must be precisely that. The curl of his mouth is rather like a girl's, hmm? He even has a mole by his lip, like my precious JiaoJiao. Is that it Lan Wangji? Do you like him for his mouth?”

Wei Wuxian can't even process what is being said right away. It has jumped from predictable to unpredictable far too quickly. Is Wen Chao implying that Lan Wangji _likes_ him? Likes him likes him? He has scarcely looked his way! He just huffs in disbelief, blinking with a daft stare. 

“After all, we discovered your preferences the last time,” Wen Chao very nearly sing-songs, fingers on his chin in enraging exaggeration. 

“What do you mean, the last time?” Wei Wuxian inquires, to no response.

Lan Wangji for his part seems unperturbed were it not for the shuffle of his fingers as they intertwine in his lap. It could very well be taken for a mere adjustment, but Wei Wuxian can tell otherwise. 

“Why are you talking nonsense, Wen Chao?” Wei Wuxian asks with another roll of his eye, trying to win back Wen Chao's attention. This has spiraled in a way he never expected, “I thought you wanted to know if we hid a piece of the Yin Metal. Not that it isn’t nonsense already.”

“I have no reason to believe you until I know you won't lie,” Wen Chai says, gaze intent on Lan Wangji, “And I have some unfinished business with the shameless Lan Wangji here.”

At that, Wei Wuxian blinks. That is the last word he would ever associate with Hanguang-Jun, but considering Wen Chao sees him as a dissident, he supposes the word fits. But it feels like there is much more depth to it than he can know, particularly when Wen Chao once more breaks precedent and grabs Lan Wangji by the cusp of his hair. He uses it to shove him down and to the right, until his crossed legs are awkwardly bent to the side of his elongated body.

Lan Wangji still stares forward without looking anyone in the eye. He doesn't react even when Wen Chao climbs onto the thin sheets behind him. Fingertips of icy unease slink up Wei Wuxian's back at the sight of Wen Chao looming over Lan Zhan's prone body, such poison in his eyes. 

“You've already interrogated him. This is about me!” Wei Wuxian says in a bid to distract, if not also being the truth. 

“Yes, it is,” Wen Chao agrees, one hand clasped over Lan Wangji's shoulder. His fingers spider as he draws them down along the smooth silk. What follows is the smoldering scent of flyaway cloth as it is burned away. A line is all it takes for Wen Chao to be able to rip the rest of the material off, exposing Lan Wangji's shoulder.

Wei Wuxian has seen his bare skin before, in the pools before they obtained the first piece of the Yin Metal that threw them pitch first into this whole mess. That was a playful intrusion on Lan Wangji's privacy, but this... This is nothing like that. Even a bare shoulder feels like a violation, his skin made paler by the surrounding dank grey of dungeon brick.

“Stop,” Wei Wuxian commands before he even realizes it. He tries to stand, but the Core Melting Hand pushes him back down with pitiful ease. 

“Already begging? I haven't even started...” Wen Chao huffs. Seemingly driven by an amused frenzy, Wen Chao straightens his back as he tears as much clothing as he can in one hand. That is when Lan Wangji moves, holding a bundle of cloth against his chest in an attempt to maintain what modesty he can manage. He tries to lift himself up as well, but is shoved down even harder.

Wen Chao's hands are at Lan Wangji's legs now, hands burning as silk wilts underneath his grip. There are folds remaining, largely at his waist. In a terrible way, it's beautiful, the white-blue sash keeping tatters in place like a lady's skirt on a wedding night. Wei Wuxian shivers.

When Wen Chao folds his fingers around his legs, Lan Wangji makes the first sound since this all began. A bit off whimper, then something more clenched as Wen Chao laughs and tugs him out of the cross legged position. He brings up his right ankle far more than the left. Why that hurts more than the rest, Wei Wuxian can't be sure, but it compels him to stand up once more. This time, Wen Zhuliu's hand doesn't leave his shoulder when he forces him to sit back down, gripping so hard his muscle and bones grind together. He winces and stares up at the man, teeth bared. But the man is looking at the wall, leading Wei Wuxian's attention to Lan Wangji again.

“Still hurt, you Lan traitor?” Wen Chao is snarling, expression a mask of pleasure, “That's what you get for thinking you can refuse us. And this is what you get for thinking you can refuse _me_. And don't forget what I can still do. Your brother may be missing, but your Uncle is still holding on to life. But for how long?”

He takes great joy in positioning him onto his knees, the scent of burning cloth and perhaps a little bitter skin continuing as Lan Wangji fights. Perhaps it's the threat on his uncle's life, or the touch, but it's the first moment that Wei Wuxian sees palpable panic flit through Lan Wangji's illuminated eyes. One hand is still folded under his chest and robe, the other stretched out on his forearm as he tries to pull himself away. He draws in a tough swallow, and Wei Wuxian can see Wen Chao's hand still crushing down on one ankle while the other works its way up.

“What are you doing?” a wavering voice asks, and it takes an echo of a moment for Wei Wuxian to realize it's his own.

Wen Chao sneers, staring at Wei Wuxian like he's a simpleton, “You're all here for re-education. So you don't forget who is _on top_.”

His upper lip twitches with satisfaction as he emphasizes by gripping something that makes Lan Wangji buck up, though his expression remains meticulously flat. Wei Wuxian isn't sure how he does it, even with Gusu Lan training, because his own face is twisting every which way at the implication. He feels as though he's about to burst; Wen Chao's answer makes it clear what he intends but it's a hard concept to process.

This sort of humiliation is reserved for women. That doesn't make it better, forceful touching is _always_ wrong, but Lan Wangji is not a woman. He is Hanguang-Jun, one of the most powerful cultivators of their time and still so young; how could Wen Chao even get this into his head?!

“You're sicker than I ever could have imagined, to have thought of this,” Wei Wuxian grits out from a clenched jaw, “What does this make you?!”

Wen Chao rolls his eyes, looking bored. His ministrations have paused, one hand pinning Lan Wangji's spine as he reaches into his robe to pull out a tiny jar, “Don't be so naive, Wei Wuxian. You have read your histories. You have seen cultivation gatherings when the alcohol flows free. You cannot shame me for taking someone who so wholly needs disciplining.”

A flinch rattles through Wei Wuxian’s very bones, a growl rising up like mud after a rain, “He doesn’t need _disciplining_ you perverted flea!”

“Besides,” Wen Chao interrupts, clearly ignoring him as he looks fondly down, “Lan Wangji should be honored that someone so superior has chosen to indulge his fantasies.”

Although Wei Wuxian gives no weight to the venom Wen Chao spews, Lan Wangji's eyes harden all the more, lips curling subtly. The seemingly minor shift of features is the height of contempt, one that Wei Wuxian has never seen – it makes the looks Lan Wangji has given him in the past seem like joyous smiles. It's then that a burst of energy flares out from Lan Wangji's fingertips, allowing him more movement as he propels Wen Chao back and right into the wall.

The Wen bastard slams into stone with a yelp, and Lan Wangji makes to shuffle off the cot. Suddenly a shout resounds, and once more Wei Wuxian is surprised to hear himself. Wen Zhuliu has his hands around his throat, at first just tight enough, and hot enough, to incur him to cry out. He's standing now, Wen Zhuliu having dragged him up like an unruly cat. He shakes him like one too. Wei Wuxian hears a worrying crunch in his ears. His face contorts, hand going up to instinctively claw at attempted freedom.

Wei Wuxian watches in horror as Lan Wangji freezes. Why does he care so much?! Is it just because Lan Zhan is too pure of a person – not wanting to see someone else suffer when he can stop it? Must be. His defense of Wei Wuxian is partially why they are in this situation, but it was about going against the Wen brat, not about _his_ own pain. Right?

Wen Chao is on Lan Wangji not a beat later, this time with his fingers pinched on his jaw to force him to look over even while he presses his weight down to make him bow. A brittle thing crumbles in Wei Wuxian's gut when Lan Wangji makes eye contact only to flit away like it was an accident.

“Would you rather he take your place?” Wen Chao’s voice is sweet with contrived charity, “You would like that, wouldn’t you? I can have him brought right where you are, and you can be the one to watch.”

Not even thinking about the consequences, Wei Wuxian wheezes out a “Yes,” at the same time Lan Wangji closes his eyes with an apparent 'No'. It is astounding how much feeling the man can convey with such frozen features, soft eyelids resigned and mouth firm. His whole body follows suit, stiff but submissive.

“Lan Zhan,” leaves as a baffled, haggard plea from Wei Wuxian’s barren throat, in as much as it can be heard with how harsh Wen Zhuliu’s grip is. It goes unheeded.

“Be good for me, and I won't take him after just to see your face break,” Wen Chao promises, vicious lilt painting a lecherous image, “As I say that out loud, I really _am_ tempted. You had best prove to be more fun.”

Wei Wuxian finds himself whispering ‘no’ in disbelief, even if the sound doesn’t leave his throat. The Core Melting Hand doesn’t stop crunching his tendons with worrying heat until Lan Wangji is spread out under Wen Chao. The cloth trickles down on either side of his hips, revealing strong, unblemished thighs, marked only by the adjacent dark clothing of Wen Chao. He doesn’t bother taking off his own robes. Rather, he dips his fingers into the jar of oil he has been holding onto and starts to work his way into Lan Wangji.

It’s difficult to truly comprehend what’s happening. Even when his breathe finally returns to him, scraping at his lungs and dropping sallow fear into his stomach, Wei Wuxian can’t believe his own eyes. Wen Chao digging his dirty fingers into someone so untouchable – nicknamed one of the Twin Jades for a reason; he’s indomitable, and here Lan Zhan is. On his knees, being stained.

No. Wei Wuxian’s thoughts turn on themselves with the brazen truth. To think this way, as though Lan Wangji is tainted, is to fall for Wen Chao’s tricks. Neither is it the truth. Lan Wangji can never be stained by someone else’s evil desires; it’s Wen Chao who is bloodying himself with shame. He wonders if Lan Wangji knows that. It’s hard to know _what_ he’s feeling, as he clearly is trying quite hard to meditate himself away from the situation.

His face remains neutral even while his body bends under Wen Chao’s ministrations. Wen Chao doesn’t seem to notice that Lan Wangji is off in another plane. He’s murmuring things too, terrible things, each word more shocking than the last. It steals Wei Wuxian's voice, mouth dropping at the surrealism of it all.

“Sucking in my fingers so deep. Excited to feel me inside you, Hanguang-Jun?”

“You're going to feel so good around my cock...”

Finally, it's the use of such a brutal word that propels Wei Wuxian bark out an attempt to draw him away from this viciousness, “You haven’t even asked where the final piece is. You’ve had this planned – you just wanted to touch him. You don’t care about what we may or may not know!”

Wen Chao pauses, looking at Wei Wuxian while he’s working in a third finger. The hooded dark to his eyes is undeniably pleased, “Oh? And you won't tell me once I'm buried deep, just to save him from further humiliation? That you won't admit where you hid it when I'm seconds away from making him come?”

“You have quite a high opinion of yourself, don't you?” Wei Wuxian prods before he really thinks of his goading words. Wen Chao laughs at him, no vitriol. He's making it worse, he knows that all of a sudden with a drip of chilly certainty churning his insides. 

The haughty wannabe prince makes a show of bringing himself out, proving the dare correct in the most horrifying way. Wen Chao's length is unimpressive, but he's _thick_, and all Wei Wuxian can think is that he's sure to make Lan Wangji bleed. 

“You really are despicable. This is the game of weak men,” Wei Wuxian says with the ash of resignation, the words bearing precious little weight in a situation like this. Wen Chao seems almost to lap it up, offering nothing more than a cruel smile.

When he pushes in, Lan Wangji manages to hold in all the sound that must be welling up. His eyes are closed, concentrated, fingers clenched in the flimsy bed sheets around him. Wen Chao has no such qualms. Rather, he makes it clear just how satisfied he’s beginning to feel. There’s a buildup to it, a quiet moan, a pleasured grunt at Lan Wangji’s expense when the other twitches away on veritable instinct. 

“Get off him, get off him!” Wei Wuxian starts to chant, at first to himself, then louder. He wishes he had a talisman on him, but all he can launch at the repulsive man is himself. He stands to do just that, but of course Wen Zhuliu stops him from beating Wen Chao's face in. A hand to hold him back isn’t enough, it takes his arm around his chest, pulling him backwards.

The Core Melting Hand goes as far as to sit down on the cot that Wei Wuxian just occupied, tugging him down onto his lap. Were he not wholly focused on the image of Wen Chao against Lan Wangji, one hand scraping up his strong back, the other crushing his hip, Wei Wuxian might have realized how ridiculous this is. Sitting in the Core Melting Hand's lap like a child needing to be calmed from a fit. He rallies against the hand holding him, voice degrading into a personal plea.

“Please, Wen Zhuliu, you know this is wrong. This goes too far, this is low!”

“It is not for me to decide,” Wen Zhuliu says, as much of a rock as ever. 

“Do you have no honor?!” Wei Wuxian asks, voice tinged with something deeper than pain as he cannot tear his eyes away from Wen Chao, who looks so very thrilled that Wei Wuxian is fighting while Lan Wangji seems contented merely to bear it. 

The Core Melting Hand does not respond, nor does he let Wei Wuxian go. To make matters worse, his other hand encircles his arms to pin them to his waist, keeping him tight and mortifyingly paralyzed. There will be no underhanded spiritual attacks from him – not that he would be able to do anything more than irritate Wen Chao.

“It is too bad that Wen Zhuliu is not interested in flesh,” Wen Chao says, voice punctuated by breathless indulgence, “Or you might have no choice but to join Lan Wangji.”

Wei Wuxian cringes, horribly grateful that Wen Chao is likely stating the truth. Wen Zhuliu seems quite… sexless. And in this case, Wei Wuxian has to be grateful that he is very unlike his secondary master. But Wen Zhuliu is still part of this – still letting it happen. He is just as bad, and WeiWuxian wants very much to obliterate him.

For once, Wei Wuxian doesn’t feed into Wen Chao’s attempt to scare him, thoughts too much of a mess to react. The absence of a response serves more fuel to the fire – Wei Wuxian cannot do anything right in this situation. With a growl, Wen Chao leans down, pushing himself as deep inside as he visibly can. He cups his fingers almost tenderly around the front of Lan Wangji’s neck, stroking for a moment before his fingers dig in. 

A strangled sound filters past Lan Wangji’s lips, something Wei Wuxian refuses to call a whine. As Wen Chao tugs him up to make his back flush with his still clothed chest, Lan Wangji continues to hold in bitter noises. At this angle, Wei Wuxian can see only his profile, but that is enough to enliven his imagination.

Lan Zhan’s eyes are still purposefully squeezed shut, minute shivers coursing down smooth lids. His lips twitch with distaste and pain, but he is clearly putting most of his effort into not giving Wen Chao the gratification of seeing his composure splinter. It’s agonizingly obvious how close to the precipice he is, especially now that his spine is tilted up. Wen Chao takes full advantage too, pulling back and slamming in using his neck as leverage. It hurts merely to watch, let alone to feel. 

“You were supposed to make this _good_ Lan Wangji. I bet Wei Wuxian would cry and swear; you’re giving me nothing more than a tight fuck. But I am your first, aren’t I? You don’t know what to do yet. Let me help you.”

His words are velvet poison, pawing hand journeying up to graze Lan Wangji’s cheeks, then up to his ribbon. His fingers are almost delicate as he runs across the cloud design, slipping the tip of one finger inside the intimate fold. 

Wei Wuxian pushes against the hands holding him, distressed for Lan Wangji’s sake. Being inside of him is one trespass, but touching his ribbon… Wei Wuxian may not understand the significance for the Gusu Lan clan, but he needn’t know the details to be aware of the meaning. Lan Wangji even turns his head, teeth visible in a tacit snarl.

Wen Chao chuckles at the effort. Remarkably, he lets go, instead slipping his hand downward to his lips. Lan Wangji doesn't hesitate to capture the offending skin with determined teeth – a reminder that though Lan Wangji is letting this happen, he's not so willing. Wen Chao seems more amused than anything, letting out a moan that has Lan Wangji letting go purely out of shock.

“Still just an animal waiting to bite, are you?” Wen Chao virtually coos, digging his unhindered fingers into Lan Wangji’s cheeks so hard his lips pop obscenely. 

The gesture results in a sloppily smothered hiss, making Wen Chao laugh. He pulls himself out so suddenly that Lan Wangji’s eyes snap open, wet and terrified, his throat bobbing with a dry swallow of strained breath. 

A sharp slice of pain stirs in his stomach as Wei Wuxian wishes his friend would close his eyes again. Watching the movement of this all is enough, but to see his eyes convey what he’s trying so hard to conceal…

His stomach sours all the more as Wen Chao secures a hand on Lan Wangji’s upper arm, the other on the very back of his ribbon. He surely pulls some threads of hair too, and the restrained distress on Lan Wangji’s face is wrenching as he is thrown carelessly onto his back. The new position will let Wen Chao catalog every finite shift of Lan Wangji's expression. He won't be able to hide. 

“No, please, stop,” Wei Wuxian begs not for the first time, but this time around he's far more desperate. To imagine Wen Chao being able to see the nuance of Lan Wangji's well-earned mask is too much, “I swear, I don’t know where the piece is! Stop. Just _stop_.”

Wen Chao huffs, tugging Lan Wangji’s ankle up again, the angle deliberately awkward. The discomfort that is slew across Lan Wangji’s brow is multi-faceted, ripe from the grip but also Wen Chao as he begins to push himself back in.

“Still pretending like you don't know where that piece is?”

“I’m not pretending! Xue Yang hid it somewhere, not me. Why would you even think Xue Yang _doesn’t_ have it?!”

“He’s a show off. If he had it, he would have come around by now,” Wen Chao says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “This is not about him though, remember. This is about you and Lan Wangji’s traitorous actions. You must need more of a reason to be honest.”

Wen Chao is fully seated again, and though Lan Wangji manages to remain silent against all odds, it’s clearly wearing on him. His eyelids flutter with the effort to stay shut, teeth clamped behind a shuddering mouth to control his features. His knuckles are visibly blood-drained where he has them coiled in the threadbare sheets. 

“Ah, that's more like it. Not so arrogant now! Yes, let me see your face twitch!”

Wei Wuxian should have known that Wen Chao was taking his sweet time before, that he wasn’t being as harsh as he could have been, and yet the comparatively abrupt thrusts take him by surprise. They take Lan Wangji more so. He holds it together for one, two, but by the third callous roll of his attacker's hips, his mouth parts around a gnarled whine.

The sound drives Wen Chao even wilder, reaching down to dig his nails into one pearly shoulder while the other yanks on his ankle to spread him wider. Lan Wangji shouts at that, squirming in a way that has been fended off by his resolve until now. It's as though a seal has been broken, Lan Wangji's voice unleashed in spite of how stifled he tries to make it.

This nightmare is much worse now - the way Lan Wangji's protests tremble with Wen Chao's movements, pinched cries of pain twisting off into low groans of despair, loud in the quiet surroundings. Then Wen Chao starts to speak again, repeating some of the horrible things he said earlier only now he has more to use against Lan Wangji.

“You like being watched. Like it fast, rough. Should have known a Jade would enjoy a little pressure,” he says, scorn evident as he ridicules him.

“You’re going to thank me later, you know. Poor Lan Wangji, unable to fuck the way he really wants. But now you know how it feels,” he taunts, the sheer clarity of his plentiful words astounding. The ability tells Wei Wuxian that this is not the first time Wen Chao has used this sort of intimidation on someone, “Do you like it? Like being stuffed full? You don't, do you. How about now?”

He accents the question by pulling back and driving in just so, in a way that startles Lan Wangji into opening his eyes. Wei Wuxian does not know from personal experience what just happened, but he’s asked enough curious questions of strangers; read enough forbidden books. He knows there is a bundle of nerves deep inside, where unraveling pleasure can be coaxed into being. 

Lan Wangji glares up at Wen Chao. Though his eyes scream murder, Wei Wuxian just wishes he’d shut them again, because past the glean of tears is an aching gold that belies the knife of pleasure rippling through him. He huffs out raking breaths again and again, back arcing as he tries to pull back. Wen Chao doesn’t let him though, grabbing his hips instead to keep him situated while he pistons in short bursts.

“There now, finally looking at me,” Wen Chao says while Lan Wangji makes a terrible, choked noise, “You have such beautiful anger, Hanguang-Jun.”

His eyes shut again, and Wen Chao doesn’t stand for it this time. He releases one of his hips and cups his cheek, digging his thumb into the space just below his eye.

“Open up, now, open up. If you don’t, I’ll tell Wen Zhuliu you’re not fun enough. I’ll order him to make Wei Wuxian scream. You want to be fucked while listening to him shriek? I’ll make it happen, don’t test me.”

His body is still as he croons down at Lan Wangji, probably doing so in order to not come too quickly. He's been timing his pauses, and his threats, so this can go on even further. 

The injustice of it all sparks the rage already boiling over onto Wei Wuxian’s skin. His face is hot with it, words of defense spilling out, “Don’t use me against him! He doesn’t care, but he’s too good to let someone else suffer. I’m going to kill you, Wen Chao, I’m going to rip you apart-“

He doesn’t hear the snap of Wen Chao’s fingers, nor does he see them through his increasingly blurry eyes. But he is nevertheless cut off by Wen Zhuliu’s hand as he covers his mouth with a stiff hand. That leaves Wei Wuxian’s hands free and he immediately picks up a struggle. Elbowing, tugging. 

Wen Zhuliu lets go only to place a hand over his chest. Not just any sort, one that pulses with a promising sap of energy. There’s a radiant heat spiraling from his skin to Wen Zhuliu’s, and Wei Wuxian freezes from an instinct that normally escapes him – pure self-preservation. The hand creeps upward, nestling neatly around his throat for the second or third time; Wei Wuxian has lost track. 

When Wei Wuxian blinks past the font of bitter tears, he sees that Lan Wangji is being forced to look at him. His head is fully turned by one flat palm, Wen Chao staring down at him in triumph.

“I could do it. Take his core and let it fly away in tatters.”

It shouldn't work; why does Wei Wuxian's welfare matter to Lan Wangji? Yet, they are in this situation because of the man's baffling intention to protect Wei Wuxian.

“Wrong!” Wei Wuxian corrects, the clutch on his throat hot more than tight, “Not _you_. Your lackey. You’re not strong enough, you coward! You pathetic insect!”

Wei Wuxian wants so much to continue flinging insults, but his words are stolen from him as his eyes drip down to see Wen Chao’s hand poised over Lan Wangji’s groin. The vulnerable member peeks through the wrap of silks still coiffed around his waist, barely erect and untouched. That is, until Wen Chao intrudes there as well.

A spasm shudders quietly through Lan Wangji, eyes closing. Wen Chao tsks and his eyes are open again, head still turned due to the continued press of a commanding hand.

“Good, you’re learning,” he says with relish. Lan Wangji’s brows shift in revulsion, mouth giving a subtle twitch but still he keeps his gaze forward. Unlike usual, his eyes don't stare right through Wei Wuxian; too entrapped in sensation. So he is faced with the utter power of those golden pillar eyes, quivering but still strong. He is trying so very hard, because there is no other way out.

Something cracks in Wei Wuxian’s chest at the forced but silent communication, and suddenly hot tears stream down his cheeks. He feels so much sicker than he just did, which is something to be said. He thinks he sees _something_ dart across Lan Wangji’s expression, but it goes away too quickly for him to understand.

“Lan Zhan, look at him. The proud Wei Wuxian, crying for you! Do you like him like that? Big eyes, pouty lips, both wet all for you. And you didn’t even need to touch him. Ah, this is too fun. You both are too fun!” he says with a merry laugh. 

Wei Wuxian draws in a sniff, willing himself to stop. To focus on his anger – how _dare_ he say Lan Wangji’s birth name like he has the right. How _dare_ he make assumptions about them, and use what Wei Wuxian hopes is a friendship against Lan Wangji. But that just makes his tears worse, even if it's clear that his weakness sates Wen Chao all the further. 

“His gaze should make you happy. And here you are, responding so slowly,” Wen Chao berates with salacious joy, using his casual name with nauseating intention, “One might think you’re not enjoying this…”

“He's not!” Wei Wuxian scoffs, no matter how much effort it takes for him to speak past Wen Zhuliu’s grip – even if it's needless to be said. He simply has to keep talking, to maintain the pretense that this all will be okay if only to himself.

“Are you so sure, Wei Wuxian?” Wen Chao asks even while he flicks his wrist. Lan Wangji tenses.

“You have no idea what I discovered in him before. A man's touch made him blossom,” he says, emphasizing with a stroke to Lan Wangji's cheek, no matter how he shies away – Wen Chao just chases him, “Just as he will again. Unless you give me a reason to let him be.”

“It should be reason enough that he doesn't want you,” he counters, airways less crunched to allow for further use of his voice – all of this is meant to make him speak after all, “But you're still doing this. I have nothing to tell you, whether you believe me or not.”

“Pity,” Wen Chao says, eyes alight with the opposite. He still slowly tugs on Lan Wangji, picking up speed with his hips once again. That puts Lan Wangji in the same position as before; on the edge of a reaction he doesn't want to offer. Blood shuffles up to his face as he holds himself back, painting him as ruddy as he inside of his thighs must be.

“Not so pretty with a red face,” Wen Chao goads, “How about we make it white?”

Wei Wuxian doesn't connect what he means right away. He notices only that Wen Chao has increased his efforts to bring Lan Wangji around to pleasure. It is a hum from Wen Zhuliu, and the feeling of him shaking his head that makes him recognize what Wen Chao means when he says 'white'. 

The fact that even Wen Zhuliu acknowledges how depraved it is drops yet another stone down Wei Wuxian's throat. His face goes hot with impotent rage, the Core Melting Hand keeping him secured and helpless. The only mercy is that Lan Wangji's body is not giving in to the attention. Rather, the more Wen Chao jerks, the more his flesh flags. 

Wen Chao even stops his own eager thrusts, frustration driving him to make what would otherwise be amusing grunts, if merely because of how piggish it makes him sound. He is the type not to know what to do when things don’t go his way, and though Lan Wangji is sure to suffer for not playing along, Wei Wuxian is glad that Wen Chao doesn't get _this_.

He smiles to himself, a hollow thing. But Lan Wangji sees it, his brow slipping up. He seems almost renewed by the acknowledgment, in spite of the situation and all its embarrassment and devastation. At least Wei Wuxian can do this for him – make sure Lan Zhan knows his fight will be remembered.

When Wen Chao realizes he's not going to get what he wants, he lets Lan Wangji go. Instead, he slaps the man. Not once, but four times. Hard enough for his red face to turn white like he promised. No matter the way his head flings, Lan Wangji keeps his mouth shut, though when Wen Chao finally stops, a trickle of blood leaks out of the very corner of his lips.

Wen Chao snorts, flicking some of it off with his finger and drawing it up to lick. He doesn't pull his eyes from Lan Wangji as he lowers himself down, face just a few inches away, “You've saved your words this whole time. Do you think your silence makes you pure? Still?”

He shoves in again, for the first time since he got so focused on making Lan Wangji respond the way he wanted. Unfortunately, the abruptness of it earns precisely his goal. Lan Wangji's whole face breaks into a pantomime of sharp tenderness, his pain having not been forgotten, simply put on the backburner until now. 

Wen Chao’s expression splits with glee. Drunk off it, he licks up Lan Wangji’s cheek, all the way to his ribbon. There he dips the tip in just as he did with his finger earlier, only this time Lan Wangji can’t hide the tremor that ignites in his eyes. Wen Chao backs away from his face to better continue his assault.

“Yes, yes, you don't need to speak to tell me everything. I can see it, I can see _you_,” Wen Chao says. His words are nothing special, and yet, Wei Wuxian can see it cut under Lan Wangji's thick skin in a way his touch doesn't. A reminder that he is seeing a side of Lan Wangji he has shown to no one else. A torture no one else would dare inflict.

Lan Wangji's eyes close, and Wen Chao raises a hand again only to stop when golden pools open to meet his. His stare is electrifying; like he could rend bone from flesh were the Gods fairer. 

“You see nothing,” spoken with a shaking fortitude that one could never mistake for fearful defiance. There is too much certainty there, a conviction that Wen Chao surely views as arrogance. But that's precisely why Wen Chao has learned _nothing_ from this. He has gained _nothing_. Lan Wangji still surpasses him in every way – especially after debasing himself like this.

Even Wei Wuxian is taken aback, but in the best of ways. A bittersweet grin overtakes him, the gesture causing him to taste the salt slick of his own tears. That, too, is sweet in its own devastation. 

For a man who always wants the final word, the gap between words speaks for itself. Wen Chao just stares, dark eyes somersaulting in the throes of colliding emotions. When he finally does respond, it feels cheap despite the violence.

“You're going to die like your father died. You will bow like you did when your home burned. You're nobody. Just a _toy_ for me to break,” Wen Chao says, lilt getting stronger, thrusts getting deeper. Although it is obvious that he is having an effect on Lan Wangji, something is inherently different now. Like Wen Chao is struggling to piece back together his face, while Lan Wangji just waits for it to be over. Superior, even when on his back and at Wen Chao's mercy.

He doesn't last long, having held himself back for far too long as it is. Just before he comes, Wen Chao reaches down, fingers stretched over Lan Wangji's face. In particular, over his eyes, which he has obediently kept open as ordered.

Wei Wuxian feels himself laughing, sobbing really; in the end, Wen Chao can’t handle the intensity of the very gaze he asked for. It's a victory, no matter how wretched.

“You'll remember this,” Wen Chao says with heaving breath, pulling out only to cup his hand over Lan Wangji's abused hole. He rubs, eliciting a hiss from Lan Wangji that makes Wen Chao’s grotesque lips wind around a self-important smile.

“You'll remember _me_. How I stretched you full. Won't you, Lan Zhan? I know that much.”

His words should be biting, lasting. But at least for Wei Wuxian, he feels mere sparks compared to the inferno that had flared up before. Not that he isn't wrathful, but he at least feels certain that Lan Wangji will recover. He will be changed, but he will not let himself be denigrated.

Even when Wen Chao draws his hand back and paints Lan Wangji's ribbon with his come. Even when he walks over to Wei Wuxian and grips his chin, fingers still dipped in blood and white, it is utter truth that Wen Chao is the pitiful creature out of the three of them – and Wen Zhuliu his lapdog. Wei Wuxian is sure his gaze says as much, because Wen Chao does little more than laugh and walk away. No more choice vows, no further threats. 

Lan Wangji is provided with new robes after a physician sees to him. Lan Wangji's ability to meditate comes in handy during that poking and prodding, even if it's meant to help him heal. Wei Wuxian nearly loses his stomach at the enraging mundaneness of it all. Wen Zhuliu stands guard outside their cell all night, and were the situation different, he would be goading the man. But as it is, quiet wins out. Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian sit across from one another, sometimes looking, mostly not. Wei Wuxian has many questions, particularly about the Cloud Recesses, but he keeps it all to himself.

He also wants so very much to reach out and comfort, but every time he tries to move, Lan Wangji's eyes dart up without seeing. Golden laced panic. So he stays where he is, hoping his lack of judgment and mere presence is at least a little soothing. He thinks it might be, since as the night progresses, Lan Wangji looks in his direction more and more, even if they don't always meet eyes. Once Lan Wangji has fallen asleep, Wei Wuxian stands guardian. He doesn't let himself think back on what's happened, filling his mind with the future instead; the unspoken demise of Wen Chao.

Epilogue:

The night Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu die is a memorable one. It is a moment of reunion, of secrets being peeled back to the frayed scabs they are. And it hurts more than it has any right to.

Wei Wuxian is alive. He is newly borne of utter rancor, and eager to fulfill his oaths. He is here to ensure Wen Chao dies knowing he is nothing but a powerless memory – for the sake of his parents. For Lan Wangji; who, for all his right to vengeance wants no part in it. Wei Wuxian knows just from looking at him that Hanguang-Jun desires strictly to silence the creeping touch that haunts him. He needn’t participate in Wen Chao’s final moments to be satisfied by them.

In fact, were he involved, it could make his nightmares worse. Wei Wuxian feels certain of that, a wave of adoration filtering up from his empty core at the knowledge. Lan Wangji truly _is_ pure; he is not like Wei Wuxian, eaten up by malice and a need to punish. There is no hard feelings when Lan Wangji is asked to leave, in spite of the horrible questioning that lead to it. The doubt in Lan Wangji’s eyes – the fear that Wei Wuxian is using so-called evil cultivation. The apprehension that it is in some way Lan Wangji’s fault.

Wei Wuxian cannot explain it all – nor can he convince Lan Wangji that he is not here for evil reasons. Even a warranted death is still sadism, and this won’t be anything but savage. 

At least, Wei Wuxian is not the only one biting at the bit to inflict all his ghosts on Wen Chao. Jiang Cheng is shaking with it, Zidian lashing out at its master’s behest without so much as a flick of his hand. Wen Zhuliu was first, and though Wei Wuxian wishes very much he had gotten a larger role in seeing him fade, he will give it to his brother. The Core Melting Hand hurt him most, after all. If it hadn’t been him to hold Wei Wuxian back that night in the dungeon, it would have been someone else. 

They do this for themselves. For their parents. For Jiang Cheng’s shattered core, filled now with the warmth of Wei Wuxian’s – one of the many secrets he hopes that his brother will never know. 

But there is yet another secret burgeoning to be revealed, one that shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the weight of it flays another layer of agony from his body. 

“You can kill me, but you won’t forget me,” Wen Chao says with manic delight, still on all fours and hopeless from begging for reprieve that was denied, “I’m in your _skin_. Aren’t I, Jiang Cheng? You were so pretty when you realized your core was gone. Your eyes so empty when I took you, again and again. Three days you were mine. You will go your whole life and not be rid of me.”

Miles of unhealed stitches rip loose in his brother’s dark eyes, memory as cruel as the act itself. 

Wei Wuxian should have known. Of course Wen Chao forced himself on others in the heights of his victories. He relishes being better, of bringing others to their knees. Wei Wuxian remembers being so certain of that when he forced Lan Wangji down. He had even wondered about it when he had Jiang Cheng in his arms, skin pale and blue, nearly dead… He had hoped though, that his brother hadn’t suffered in that way. But he was wrong.

“Ah Cheng,” Wei Wuxian starts, only to stop the moment Jiang Cheng holds up a hand. His brother quivers with the need to speak, but no words come out yet. Wen Chao is cackling now, but not for long. Now he screeches with spiritual electricity, Zidian played slow and deliberate across his burning skin.

“I’m not coreless now! I will forget you, and if I don’t, I’ll think of this! I’ll think of _your_ screams,” _not my own_ goes unsaid. 

Wei Wuxian holds Chenqing tighter, emotions pouring black smoke over his insides. Yes, Jiang Cheng is no longer coreless, and Wei Wuxian has no regrets about that. But he does wish he could have protected him in the first place. Why did Jiang Cheng run from them?! Why did he return to the Lotus Pier to be captured?! Stale anger rises up, and Wei Wuxian has to stamp it back in its place. Tonight is the time for anger, but not toward Jiang Cheng.

Vapor trickles from Wen Chao’s bare skin, much of his clothing having been shredded. His blood-splotched skin is singed all the more, tears leaking down his cheeks. He looks disgusting, and yet Wei Wuxian feels little gratification. He thinks it might be the same for Jiang Cheng, considering how stilted and desperate his beating has become. 

He takes his place next to his brother, grabbing his arm with a shake of his head. And Jiang Cheng lets him with a tired huff, gratitude in his eyes as Wei Wuxian take over. 

“Are you doing this for him? For Lan Wangji? For yourself?” Wen Chao asks in teetering, wild breaths, “I may die, but my last thoughts will be of how it felt inside them. The Second Jade, your brother-“

Wei Wuxian cuts him off; quite literally. Not his tongue, but his other weapon. The squeal that erupts has Wei Wuxian smiling again, the joy he was worried wouldn’t blossom reaching for the sun. And he continues to cut. Chenqing is left on his waist, using his remaining command over Suibian to slash Wen Chao to ribbons. A gash through his cheek and into his mouth, leaving him to gargle on his own blood while the stump that was his dick pumps out his life force.

Wei Wuxian may not be as strong as a golden cultivator anymore, but he has pure will. And when they leave, he feels bolstered in spite of his unrepentant exhaustion. 

He wonders if Lan Wangji will ever want to hear how Wen Chao choked on his own fluids. How he surely was _not_ thinking of Lan Wangji, or Jiang Cheng, or anyone else he hurt. He would have only seen Wei Wuxian and his blade – for the short amount of time he still had eyes in his head that is.

No, Lan Wangji will never ask. And Jiang Cheng will put it behind him in what ways he can. And that is for the best – for now, they move forward. But Wei Wuxian is not about to let anyone hurt his brother or Lan Wangji again. He'll do whatever he must to protect them, from here on out. 


End file.
